COMPLETE IN CHRIST!

From; WHY REVIVAL TARRIES By Leonard Ravenhill, 20th Chapter

"Knowing the terror of the Lord he persuaded men" (II Cor. 5:11).

Paul accounted men as lost! The other night I saw a picture thrown onto a screen; but in its blurred state it had no meaning. Then the operator's hand reached out and focussed the slide. What a difference!
Even so, we Christians need the Divine Hand to sharpen the picture of the lostness of men to our eternity-dimmed eyes.

Because Paul loved His Lord with a perfect love, he also hated sin with a perfect hatred. Thus he saw men not only prodigals but also rebels - not just drifters from righteousness but conspirators in wickedness, who must be pardoned or punished.
With the fierceness of Love's intensest blaze, he burned at the injustice of men subordinate to demon power.

His watchword was "This one thing I do." He had no side issues, no books to sell. He had no ambitions - and so had nothing to be jealous about. He had no reputation - and so had nothing to fight about. He had no possessions - and therefore nothing to worry about. He had no "rights" - so therefore he could not suffer wrong. He was already broken - so no one could break him. He was "dead" - so none could kill him. He was less than the least - so who could humble him? He had suffered the loss of all things - so none could defraud him. Does this throw any light on why the demon said, "Paul I know?"
Over this God-intoxicated man, hell suffered headaches.

Spirituality that saves men from hell and keeps men from vulgar sins is wonderful, but, I believe, elementary. When Paul went to the Cross, the miracle of conversion and regeneration took place; but later when he got on the Cross, the greater miracle of identification took place.
That I believe is the masterly argument of the Apostle - to be dead and alive at the same time. "Ye are dead," Paul wrote the Galatians. Suppose we try this on ourselves first. Are we dead? - dead to blame or praise? dead to fashion and human opinion? dead so that we have no itch for recognition? dead so that we do not squirm if another gets praised for a thing that we engineered? Oh sweet, sublime, satisfying experience of the indwelling Christ by the Spirit! We, too, can sing with Wesley:

Dead to the world and all its toys!
Its idle pomp and fading joys!
Jesus, my glory be!

Yes, Paul was dead. Then he added, "Nevertheless I live, yet not I." Christianity is the only religion in the world where a man's God comes and lives inside of him. Paul no longer wrestled with flesh (neither his own nor any other man's); he wrestled "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world." Does that shed any light on why this demon said, "And Paul I know?" Paul had been wrestling against the demon powers. (In these modern days, this art of binding and loosing that Paul knew is almost forgotten or else ignored.)

On the last lap of his earthly pilgrimage, he declared, "I have fought a good fight." Demons could have said amen to that statement, for they suffered more from Paul than Paul suffered from them. Yes, Paul was known in hell.

Paul was so conformed to the image of the Son that he could say, "What things ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do" (Phil. 4:9). To copy copies is not normally safe, but it is safe to copy Paul, for he was fully surrendered, wholly sanctified, completely satisfied, yea, "complete in Christ."

SHUTTIN DOWN a WITCH-by Kris Franklin

At a recent county fair a psychic had a booth where she was
reading tarot cards and doing typical witchcraft over people. The
Spirit of God began to stir me and I decided to challenge the
power of her demons with the Holy Ghost. I sat in line waiting on
my turn. When I walked into her booth I asked her if she could tell
the future. She said she couldn't tell all of the future, but could
tell
some of it. I told her I could tell tell her not only her condition,
but I
could also read her future. She immediately became interested...

God gave me a word of knowledge. I began to tell her that she
was raised Catholic, but that she currently practiced wicca and
she was using a gift God had given her from birth for selfish gain.
She was absolutely stunned because she was from Indian decent
and not many Indians were Catholic.

I then told her I could tell her future. She was now marveled at
what was taking place. I began to read from the Bible in Ezekiel
about the women who prophesied falsely and from Deuteronomy. I
told her God has ordained this moment in time to give you a
chance to repent and come to know Him or the judgment of God
would fall. She declared that she was a good Catholic and right
with God. I told her without Christ as Lord and you renouncing
your ways she would spend an eternity in hell. She cursed me
out and rejected Christ. I rebuked the demonic powers that
allowed her to channel spirits and declared that her psychic
business would no longer profit. To my amazement she packed up
her stuff in the booth and left the fair. No more reading that day.

I told her works of darkness were rebellion against Jesus Christ.
She began trying to pronounce demonic curses on me, but froze
unable to speak. She stuttered for a minute or two and then made
the most amazing testimony I have heard...

In the midst of trying to curse me she said, "I can't do anything -
the Blood of God is protecting you."

How about that - a witch defying the power of God had to recognize
her attack was in vain. Not because I was anything, but because
the blood of Christ protected me.

In the 10 years God has called me into service into His kingdom,
I have been blessed beyound measure to see His Spirit show up
strong. We have seen demons cast out and healings, but nothing
is more wonderful than watching the Spirit of God fall on a group
of people and they began weeping under the conviction of the
Holy Ghost.

I do believe there is a remnant here who really speaks truth and
has a love for Christ. The one thing I have seen and don't fully
understand is how so many people called to the prophetic carry
such a persecution complex. I pray that people would not let the
offense take them down or cause them to shut themselves off to
the body. I have had to deal with rejection and persecution, but I
think a lot of people need the mercy of God to set them free from
the spirit of rejection. I believe it can pollute. It can alter our
perception of what we see prophetically...

Kris Franklin,

WEBSITE - http://www.suddenministry.com

Pentecost-Leonard Ravenhill

Lord Montgomery, that unpredictable British field Marshall, said recently that England went into the Second World War equipped to fight the First World War. This was a polite way of saying that in World War II England was way behind the times in battle equipment and strategy.

When Sir Christopher Wren designed the great St. Paul's cathedral in London, he planned a thing of lasting beauty and unfading charm, but did not order it air-conditioned. When George Stephenson built his rocket engine, it was not smooth, herculean diesel, but a low-powered hissing machine. In other words, both Wren and Stephenson underestimated the needs of our day, and designed for their day.

Many today have a benevolent patronage of the church of Jesus Christ (or what they mistakenly think is the church of Jesus Christ). These "wise ones" think that the psalm-singing saints are as much out of line with the atomic age as a penny-farthing bicycle would be on a motor-crowded four-lane highway. Was Jesus Christ guilty, then, of underestimating the need of this twentieth century? Is the Church which Christ founded a cumbersome, slow-moving thing, badly needing a gigantic overhauling and a government subsidy to get her up to date and moving? No! The church does not need state support.

We concede, however, that the Church does need a mighty overhauling by divine Hands, that is, she needs the baptism with the Holy Ghost and fire. When the Lord Christ ascended into heaven from Mt. Olivet, He charged the disciples that they should "wait for the promise of the Father" - the "baptism of the Holy Ghost" with its resultant power.

This promise was exclusive - "Ye shall receive power." Who was to receive the promise? Only the followers of Christ.

The promise was exciting - "Ye shall receive power." In eager anticipation of this blessed enduement, the waiting ones could see all their weakness evaporating in the baptism of fire.

The promise was explicit - "Not many days hence."

The promise was expanding - This thing was not to be done in a corner, nor whispered among the redeemed. It would reach out through them to Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth.

This promise was exalting - In the whole world of created things there is no greater power than that of the Holy Spirit of God. They were to be filled with the Spirit of the living God. Earth has no greater honor than that.

Angels, behold and wonder!

Every thing in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters above the earth - all these are the work of His fingers and this Mighty one is He who condescends to come and indwell mortals.

But though Pentecost meant power to the disciples - it also meant prison to them. Pentecost meant enduement - it almost meant banishment. Pentecost meant favor with God - it also brought hatred from men. Pentecost brought great miracles - it also brought mighty obstacles. Pentecost brought anointing for the upper room preachers - it also brought appointing a deacon and under the enduement he turned Samaria upside down.

In Europe Pentecost Sunday is always called Whitsunday (White Sunday), and the children usually dress in white. The disciples were "made white" at the first Pentecost - that is, their hearts were "purified by faith" (Acts 15:8, 9). This purification is a lost accent these days in interpreting the Baptism with Spirit. Under the title of Spirit-filled churches, there are some weird and wanton things operating at present.

If too much stress has not been made of the gifts of the Spirit, then too little has been said of the fruit of the Spirit. Note how few books are available on the fruits of the Spirit, but how many on the gifts of the Spirit. Yet the Son of God said, "By their fruits ye shall know them."

The first essential for the coming of the Holy Ghost into a heart today is that the heart should be cleansed from sin, for the Holy Spirit does not fill an unclean heart. What God has cleansed, He then fills. Finally, whom God fills, He uses. A holy life is the authentic sign of being filled with the Spirit.

Today we need a revival of holy living. Why do we have to hang a sign outside our church to announce that we are Fundamental and Biblical? Because without a sign, no one could identify us? When I passed through a town that a few days before had been torn apart by a tornado, I assure you I had not to be told a mighty wind had cleaved the place. A fire is self-announcing. A conflagration needs no publicity. When the fire of the Holy Ghost falls again and the mighty wind of the Spirit comes (I am positive He is coming), then our "bush" will burn too, and a Moses will turn again to see the great sight. Even so, come Holy Ghost! Come quickly!